Temblor
by Ilanala
Summary: Something happens that shakes the foundations of Yuuta's world, and he's bound and determined to do something about it. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

There were certain constants in Yuuta's world, things he knew could never change and could therefore afford to take for granted. These were facts on which it was safe to construct his worldview because they would never change. Mizuki would always have data on any tennis player; it might not be useful or even accurate, but he would have it. Yumiko would always have something good to eat around when he went home, and would offer it to him with a smile. And Syuusuke would never be afraid of anything. He might respond with that infuriating smile of his, or he might get angry, but he would never truly be scared. For all his small stature (he'd grown a few inches in the past year, but he was still a little shorter than his classmates, and he lacked the muscle of many of his fellow tennis players) and apparent harmlessness, Yuuta never doubted that his brother could take care of himself.

That was why it was such a shock when Syuusuke showed up at his door one Thursday evening. Yuuta wasn't surprised because non-residents weren't supposed to be allowed in the dorm without a student accompanying them, or because his brother had never come by his room to see him, instead calling to see if he would come out. It was only that something seemed instantly wrong about the whole situation.

There was nothing obviously wrong with Syuusuke. He was wearing his school uniform, which looked as neat as it ever did. He wasn't dirty or sweaty and a quick glance revealed no signs of injury. He was even wearing his usual smile, but something about it was less than convincing. He looked—it took Yuuta a moment to realize it because he had never seen his brother this way before—fragile, as though if someone were to push him now, instead of pushing back he might break.

"Aniki," Yuuta stuttered. Then, after a moment, "Come in." His roommate was, thankfully, elsewhere, and he locked the door so no one would bother them. Syuusuke lay down on one of the beds. It was a casual movement, as though he was completely at home in this room he'd never been in, but Yuuta thought he saw a grimace of pain flash across his face. Perhaps he'd been wrong in judging him uninjured. "What happened?" he asked, although he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"I'll be fine," Syuusuke said. It wasn't an answer, but Yuuta was afraid to question him further. "I'm sorry to bother you, Yuuta. I just...didn't want to go home yet." He was still smiling, and his voice was steady, but Yuuta could no longer deny that something bad had happened to his brother.

"It's all right," Yuuta said, trying to pretend that this whole situation didn't make him horribly uncomfortable. It wasn't all right at all. As much as he hated his older brother fussing over him, he had always taken that protection for granted; he had never imagined that he would have to return the favor, and he had no idea what to do.

Syuusuke closed his eyes, as if to give Yuuta permission to leave him alone and go back to his work. Yuuta returned to his desk, but the words he had written a few minutes before seemed unintelligible now. He turned back to the bed and saw that Syuusuke was holding his right wrist in his left hand, rubbing his thumb over the skin as though massaging a sore muscle or worrying at a bruise. His eyes were still closed, but his brows were knitted together and his face was pinched into an expression of pain and something that might almost be fear.

Shaken, Yuuta turned back to his work and tried to forget that his belief had been proven horribly wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

It shouldn't have taken Yuuta more than twenty minutes to finish his homework, but he was distracted (to say the least), so it was almost two hours before he decided he'd done as much as he was going to do. He put away his books, trying to resist the urge to smash them against his desk in frustration, and finally allowed himself to turn around.

Syuusuke had rolled onto his side, facing away from him. He was lying still as though sleepy, but when Yuuta said "Aniki" quietly, he sat up and looked at him. "Do you think we should call home so no one wonders where you are?" Yuuta asked.

"Nobody's home," Syuusuke said, shaking his head. "Mom and Dad left for the weekend, and nee-san is staying at a friend's tonight."

"Oh." Suddenly it made more sense that Syuusuke was here of all places; it was only because there was nobody at home and he didn't want to be there alone. Still, it didn't explain why he hadn't gone to one of his friends instead. Yuuta didn't know if Syuusuke confided in his friends either, but it seemed like he would usually go to them before burdening the little brother he was always trying to protect with his troubles. He wasn't fond of his brother's protective streak, but Syuusuke's current behavior ran counter to that, and it confused him. It only made sense if...but surely none of his friends could have hurt him.

"Do you want to stay here tonight?" Yuuta found himself asking before he was aware of having the idea. "It's getting late."

"I don't want to be a bother," Syuusuke hedged, looking uncomfortable. This was awkward for them both, and it bothered Yuuta that things were this way between them. His brother drove him crazy sometimes, but it was terrible that their relationship had changed so much that they couldn't even ask each other for help anymore.

"It's not a bother," Yuuta insisted. It _was_ a bother, truly, but he wasn't going to say that. He owed it to his brother, who had never asked for anything from him but his friendship, to help him when he really needed it.

"I'll be back," he added after a moment's thought. It wasn't that he desperately wanted to get away from his brother, just that he desperately wanted to get out of the room and escape the horrible, uncomfortable feeling of suddenly not being the sheltered little brother anymore. And besides, he did have something he needed to take care of. He made his way to the common area, where he found his roommate talking to a group of friends.

"Akaya," he said, and the boy broke off his conversation and gave him a questioning look. "Do you think you could find somewhere else to sleep tonight?" he asked.

Akaya looked surprised; Yuuta had never made this kind of request before. "Why?" he teased. "Do you have a _visitor_?" He and the other boys laughed, imagining just what kind of visitor they'd like to have. If Yuuta had been in a less serious mood, he would have rolled his eyes; it wasn't impossible to sneak girls into the dorm, but it was difficult, and it wasn't the sort of thing he would ever consider doing.

"Yes, my _brother_," he snapped, a little more harshly than he had intended. His outburst made it clear that this was no laughing matter.

"I'll figure something out," Akaya said, suddenly serious.

"Thank you," Yuuta said. With no further excuse to be there, he went back to his room.

Syuusuke had his cell phone out, but he put it down when Yuuta came back. "You can stay," Yuuta told him, and he nodded in awkward thanks. Yuuta yawned, more because he didn't know what to say than anything else, but he found he was suddenly tired.

"You can go to sleep if you want," Syuusuke said, smiling, back in big brother mode. "I can entertain myself."

"Okay," Yuuta agreed, rubbing his eyes. He went to brush his teeth, and when he came back Syuusuke had settled down on his bed with one of his schoolbooks. He changed into his pyjamas silently, and threw an extra t-shirt and shorts at his brother, who caught them without looking up. (Yuuta restrained the reflexive annoyance at his ability to do things like that effortlessly.) He climbed into Akaya's bed, which was so similar to his own that it hardly felt strange, and when he closed his eyes, he could forget that anything was different tonight from the many other nights he'd spent in this room.

"Good night," Syuusuke said, bringing him back to reality.

"Good night," Yuuta replied. He thought he should say something else, but he couldn't even begin to find the words, so he just rolled over and fell asleep.

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Yuuta woke with a start in the middle of the night for no reason he could see. He fumbled for his alarm clock, on the bedside table, but the clock, and for that matter the table, wasn't there. After a moment, he remembered that he was in Akaya's bed, so of course his clock wouldn't be there. With a sigh, he reached up and flicked on the reading light next to the bed.

Squinting against the light, he looked at Syuusuke in the other bed. His arms were draped awkwardly over his face, crossed as if to block something from hitting him. Yuuta realized suddenly that he was mumbling in his sleep. The words were unintelligible, and his voice was too quiet to have woken Yuuta up, but now that he had noticed the steady stream of sound, he couldn't ignore it.

As he lay awake, Yuuta's mind drifted back to the days when he and his brother had shared a room. They had slept next to each other for years, so this was familiar, but the thought that kept coming to the fore was that he had never known Syuusuke to have a nightmare before.


	3. Chapter 3

When Yuuta woke again, it was early morning. His alarm hadn't gone off yet, but sunlight was coming in the window, refusing to let him sleep in peace. He saw that Syuusuke was already up and half dressed, pulling on his shirt.

"What time is it?" he mumbled, stifling a yawn.

"6:15," Syuusuke said, rather too loudly for such an ungodly hour. "Sorry if I woke you up."

"Why are you awake?" Yuuta groaned, rubbing his eyes.

"I have morning practice," Syuusuke explained. He was wearing his usual slight smile, as though there was nothing unusual about him being in his little brother's dorm room.

"And you're going?" Yuuta asked, surprised. It was early, and he didn't have it in him to understand his brother's denial, or whatever this behavior was. He didn't think he would understand it even in a more coherent state.

"Yeah," Syuusuke said, still cheerful. His left hand lingered on the opposite wrist for a moment as he buttoned the cuff, but Yuuta pretended not to notice. Syuusuke pulled on his jacket and buttoned it quickly, then sat down to tie his shoes.

"Aniki," Yuuta started. He wasn't sure what he was going to say, but it seemed like he should say _something_.

"It's all right, Yuuta," Syuusuke said reassuringly. "Don't worry so much."

_You'd do the same if it was me_, Yuuta thought. _More, even. By now you'd probably have found whoever was responsible and made them sorry._ The idea sounded good, but he wasn't as sure about it as he would have once been. Now he couldn't help thinking that maybe, off the tennis courts, his brother wasn't as strong as he had always believed.

"Thanks for letting me stay," Syuusuke added, standing and picking up his bag. "See you."

"Bye," Yuuta said. When the door closed, he let his head fall back onto the pillow. Why couldn't this have all just been a dream?

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All through the day, Yuuta was distracted. He did miserably on a math quiz he'd completely forgotten about, and got reprimanded in English class when he didn't even hear the teacher ask him a question, let alone understand what she said. His mind was running through theories, each less likely than the last, of what could have happened to his brother.

If Syuusuke had been mugged or otherwise randomly attacked, he would have just said so. He also probably would have been more obviously and badly injured, and he would have gone to a friend instead of burdening his little brother. If he'd made a classmate or someone else he knew angry somehow (a joke gone too far, perhaps, or maybe even a tennis game), he would most likely have still confided in a friend. Besides, Yuuta couldn't imagine why a little fight over something stupid would have left him looking so shaken.

That left the most plausible and also the most disturbing option: the person who had hurt Syuusuke was a friend of his. It would have to be someone who had a lot of friends in common with him so there would be no friend he could tell who didn't have a conflict of interest, which probably meant someone on the tennis team. Yuuta knew Eiji wouldn't have done it (and not just because he couldn't beat Syuusuke up if he tried), but he didn't know any of the others well enough to judge whether they were capable of something like this. He just found it hard to believe that a friend could have hurt Syuusuke. He'd had his share of moments when he'd hated his brother, but it was beyond him what Syuusuke could have done to make a good friend angry enough to attack him.

When classes finished for the day, Yuuta decided he couldn't stand any more of this uncertainty. He asked Mizuki to give his excuse (something vague about a family emergency) to the coach and skipped out on tennis practice, running to catch the next bus toward Seigaku.

By the time he reached the other school, their practice was already underway. He located Syuusuke on one of the courts, playing a match against the vice captain. He wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to his brother, and he didn't want to interrupt practice anyway, so he stood outside the fence to watch. After a few minutes, someone came to stand beside him. Yuuta took in the glasses and spiky hair and recognized Seigaku's manager, although he couldn't recall his name.

"You're Fuji's little brother." It wasn't a question, and Yuuta was too worried to bother being angry, so he said nothing. "Inui," the other boy introduced himself. Yuuta nodded in acknowledgement, not taking his eyes off the court. He flinched at the gruff shout of "Out!"; it wasn't like Syuusuke to make unforced errors.

They stood in silence for a few minutes before Inui asked with no preamble, "What's wrong with your brother?"

"W-what?" Yuuta stammered. Was it really so obvious? He didn't think so, but Inui was definitely the type to notice even the slightest sign.

Inui turned to look at him, his expression unreadable behind the thick glasses. "Fuji ran laps 20 more slowly than usual today," he said, as though reading from a book. "I estimate that two-thirds of this is due to a lack of sleep and the other third is the result of some injury, which must have occurred between the end of yesterday's practice and the start of this morning's practice.

"In addition, he is currently losing his match to Oishi. The chances of him losing to Oishi when in good condition are approximately 1 in 7300. Even injured, if he is still well enough to play, he should be winning. Therefore, I assume he is suffering mentally as well as physically and is thus unable to concentrate properly." He paused to let the information sink in, and Yuuta had to admit that he was impressed. Inui was at least as good at collecting data as Mizuki, and he definitely had a better handle on Syuusuke than St. Rudolph's data player.

"In the three years I've been in the tennis club," Inui continued, "I have never once seen you at practice, so the chances of your appearance being a coincidence are infinitesimal, and I must conclude that you know what's wrong and are here because you're worried. So I ask again, what's wrong?"

There was no point in saying nothing was the matter when Inui so clearly had the situation figured out. "I don't know," Yuuta admitted.

"Fuji-kun..." Inui chided.

"He wouldn't tell me," Yuuta clarified. "He came by to see me last night and he was upset, but he wouldn't say why."

"I see," Inui said thoughtfully. "Tell me what happened."

Yuuta wasn't sure his brother would appreciate him telling, but maybe Inui would be able to help him figure out what had happened. "He got to my dorm at about eight o'clock. He was still in his uniform, so I assume he didn't go home after practice. He..." He didn't want to say 'He looked scared'. He didn't really want to say anything, but he needed the help of someone who knew Syuusuke's teammates, and who knew them better than Inui? "He was holding his wrist like it hurt," he continued, demonstrating with his own hands. "I think he was hurt more than that, but I couldn't tell."

"And he wouldn't say how he'd been injured?" Inui asked.

Yuuta shook his head. "I think maybe..." He hesitated. He doubted after all this that Inui was the one responsible, but he didn't want to place the blame on anyone Inui knew. Still, if it would help, he had to say everything. "I think maybe the person who hurt him was someone he knew. A friend, I mean. He wouldn't have come to me otherwise."

Inui looked at him with the same calculating expression he'd been wearing throughout the conversation. He seemed to be considering what to say next when someone walked up next to him. Yuuta recognized Tezuka, Seigaku's captain. The solemn boy nodded by way of greeting to both of them, not showing any surprise at Yuuta's presence. He stood silently and watched the match with them for a minute.

"Fuji isn't playing his best today," he commented obliquely as Syuusuke ran for and missed one of Oishi's Moon Volleys. Inui nodded. "Do you know why?" Tezuka asked.

"Not yet," Inui said.

"Find out," Tezuka said. His voice was soft, but it still sounded like a command. Inui gave another nod, and Tezuka returned to the courts, leaving Yuuta wondering at Seigaku's strange captain. He was comforted at least by the confirmation that Tezuka wasn't the one responsible; something would have had to be very wrong with the world for him to hurt any of his teammates.

"It couldn't be Kikumaru," Inui mused aloud. "Echizen couldn't hurt him either. I know it wasn't me or Tezuka. Oishi wouldn't hurt a fly unless it tried to harm his friends, and Fuji wouldn't do that. That leaves Kawamura, Momoshiro and Kaidoh, all of who are strong enough to hurt Fuji and might do so with enough provocation. That is, assuming it's someone on the tennis team, which seems reasonable given your assessment."

Yuuta nodded, trying to process everything Inui had said. If he remembered correctly, Kawamura was the one whose parents owned a sushi shop. He was mild-mannered without a tennis racket in his hands, and he seemed to get along well with Syuusuke. Yuuta found it hard to imagine him hurting anyone, even in one of his crazy moods. The two second years he didn't know anything about beyond their special shots, so he would have to trust Inui's judgment. There was, as much as it irked him to admit it, not much more he could do.

"Thank you for your help, Fuji-kun," Inui said. "I'll let you know what I find out." He seemed confident that he _would_ find something, which was a comfort. "Now," he continued, "If you don't want to talk to your brother, I suggest you leave now. I estimate he will win his match in approximately three minutes."

Startled, Yuuta looked back at the court. He heard the call, "Five games to three. Fuji leads." It seemed that while they were talking, Syuusuke had gotten hold of himself and started playing closer to his usual level, which must mean that he was doing all right. Yuuta had meant to talk to his brother originally, but now he didn't know what to say, so he turned and left. From the edge of the tennis courts, he heard "Thirty-love!" and he smiled and felt a little better.


	4. Chapter 4

The buses were slow, and it was almost seven before Yuuta made it back to St. Rudolph. When he got to his room, he found Akaya sprawled on his bed playing a video game. "There you are," the other boy said. "I was starting to think you'd gotten lost on your way back from the tennis courts." Yuuta, preoccupied with more important things than bantering with his roommate, didn't say anything. Akaya sat up and eyed him suspiciously. "What's going on, Yuuta?"

"It's nothing," Yuuta mumbled. He stood still for a moment, considering, then said, "I think I'm going to go home for the weekend."

Akaya gave him a funny look, but didn't ask any questions. "Okay," he said, turning back to his game. Yuuta threw some clothes into his bag with his schoolbooks and headed back toward the bus stop.

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He got home late and starving, having completely forgotten to eat dinner. Yumiko opened the door and beamed when she saw him. "Yuuta!" she exclaimed. "I didn't know you were coming home."

"I decided at the last minute," he said vaguely. Yumiko could read him like a book most times, so she had to know something was going on, but he hoped she wouldn't ask too many questions. She just smiled, and he added, "It's nice to see you, nee-san."

Syuusuke came in from the kitchen as Yuuta went to drop his bag in his room "Hello, Yuuta," he said. There was a faint hint of reproach in his voice, as though to ask 'What are you doing here?' but he smiled anyway.

Yumiko looked at the two of them suspiciously, but she didn't comment, for which Yuuta was grateful. Syuusuke walked past her and sat down to watch TV, and Yumiko, apparently deciding to let it go, turned to Yuuta and asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Famished," he said. "I missed dinner." They went into the kitchen, and Yumiko put some leftovers in front of him. They talked about school and life and other less-important things that they hadn't had nearly as many opportunities to talk about since Yuuta went away to school. The sounds of some explosion-filled TV show drifted in from the other room. It seemed almost like old times, before he had gone to St. Rudolph and before he had come to resent his brother, and for a moment Yuuta let himself forget why he was there in the first place, forget anything was wrong. It was a nice feeling, however false.

The illusion was shattered when Syuusuke came in at 9:15 to say he was going to bed. "Are you all right?" Yumiko asked worriedly. Yuuta figured she was allowed to ask since she was the big sister and was supposed to be motherly, but he wanted to know too.

"Fine," Syuusuke assured her, flashing an extra-bright smile. "It's been a long week."

Yumiko had to know he was lying—she could read both her brothers perfectly, even the usually inscrutable Syuusuke—but she only said, "Good night."

"Good night, aniki," Yuuta said, and Syuusuke left before they could ask any more questions.

Yumiko tried to continue their conversation after that, but Yuuta's mind was on his brother, and probably Yumiko's too, so it just wasn't the same.

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Yuuta had been hoping that coming home for the weekend would help him worry less, but he tossed and turned worse that night than the night before. He woke up at eleven feeling like he'd barely slept and rolled out of bed despite his body's protestations.

Syuusuke and Yumiko were lingering over breakfast, carrying on the kind of inane conversation only they were capable of. They were currently discussing the plausibility of recreating some anime character's hairstyle, given the laws of physics and the limits of hair dye. Syuusuke said it couldn't be done, while Yumiko insisted that with enough bleach and hairspray, anything was possible.

"Good afternoon, Yuuta," Syuusuke said brightly, and this time his smile didn't look at all forced.

"It's still morning," Yuuta grumbled, slumping into a chair, and his siblings laughed. Despite his exhaustion, that made Yuuta feel better. If Syuusuke was laughing easily, whatever had happened to him couldn't be too bad. He was probably just making a big deal out of nothing the way he always seemed to do when it came to his brother.

"Do you want to weigh in on the great debate?" Yumiko asked, grinning.

"Probably not," Yuuta said. He found it safer not to get involved in his siblings arguments. They were both dangerous people to cross, especially when you were their little brother, even if it wasn't serious. Besides, he rarely had an opinion on whatever the issue was.

"You just want him to say something because you know he'll agree with you," Syuusuke accused, laughing.

Before Yumiko could retort, the phone rang. She picked it up, still chuckling, and said, "Hello? Oh, hi. Yes, he's right here. All right. Eiji," she explained, handing the phone to Syuusuke.

"Hi, Eiji," Syuusuke said. "Oh, really? Yeah. Well...no, not right now. Yuuta's home for the weekend and...yeah. Maybe later. Okay. Have a good time. Yeah. Bye, Eiji."

"What did he want?" Yuuta asked when he hung up. He was trying very hard to curb his worrying at this point; he'd complained for years about his brother mothering him, and yet here he was doing the same thing. He couldn't say he liked being treated like a small child by someone only a year older than him, but he thought maybe now he could understand why his brother had always tried to protect him. Despite his efforts, he found himself wondering why Syuusuke had turned his friend's invitation down. His presence was a perfectly good excuse, but he couldn't tell if that was the real reason or just an excuse.

"Just to go see a movie," Syuusuke said absently, as though he didn't know exactly what Yuuta was thinking.

Judging by the way she was looking at Syuusuke, Yumiko was probably having similar thoughts. She'd held her tongue so far, but Yuuta was sure it was only a matter of time before she demanded to know what was going on. Syuusuke probably thought so too, because he preempted any awkward questions by asking, "Yuuta, do you want to go play tennis?"

For once in his life, Yuuta was in no mood to play tennis, but he wasn't about to turn his brother down either. "I didn't bring my racket home," he said.

"You can borrow one of mine," Syuusuke offered. Using an unfamiliar racket suited to a very different play style would put Yuuta at a disadvantage, but the truth was that he wouldn't win anyway unless Syuusuke let him. Yuuta hated that his brother was so much better at tennis than he was without trying nearly as hard, and he tried to ignore it most of the time, but it was a fact of life as immutable as his position as the youngest sibling. After all, no matter how hard you worked, you couldn't _become_ a prodigy.

"Fine," he agreed. It had been a long time since he'd played against his brother. If nothing else, it might distract him from his fretting for a little while. Maybe it would even be fun. (And maybe if he told himself that enough times he would be convinced.)


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Thank you very much to everyone who's reviewed. Feedback makes me almost unreasonably happy. ;-) I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but it seemed like a good place to stop. I'll try to update soon to make up for it.

There were a lot of people at the public courts, as was usual for an early Saturday afternoon. They couldn't find a free court, so in the end Syuusuke talked two high school students into playing doubles against them. The older boys seemed confident that they would win easily; Yuuta looked forward to popping a few holes in their inflated egos. He hadn't played doubles with his brother in a few years, and he hadn't done much doubles playing at all lately, but he was sure they could do it. It was always easier to win when your opponents underestimated you.

Syuusuke let the first serve go right by him, and the second, and the third. It wasn't a bad serve, but neither was it particularly impressive, and there was no question for anyone who had seen him play before that he could hit it if he tried; he was just biding his time. Yuuta didn't believe in taking the time to judge your opponent or letting them win a few points to feel better about themselves before playing seriously, but in doubles you had to work with your partner's style, so he didn't object. Contrary to popular belief and overwhelming evidence, he could, on occasion, be patient.

The other boys were starting to gloat, saying that this would be over within fifteen minutes. Then they hit a fourth serve and Syuusuke reached out almost casually and hit the ball into the far right corner of the court. Their opponents were so surprised they didn't even react before the ball had hit the fence and bounced back toward them. Yuuta felt the familiar twinge of jealousy at Syuusuke's abilities, but he also had to suppress a smile; it was easier to appreciate his talent when they were on the same side.

It turned out as the game continued that in addition to being disgustingly talented in general, Syuusuke was a surprisingly good doubles player. Yuuta had seen him play before, but somehow he'd still assumed that someone as talented as his brother wouldn't have the patience to work with anyone less skilled, which obviously wasn't the case. He also discovered, as much as galled him to admit it, that he was very bad at doubles, or at least at playing doubles with his brother. He kept going for shots that shouldn't have been his and generally playing like a singles player with something to prove. Well, doubles tennis would just have to be another point on the list of Things Syuusuke Is Better At Than Yuuta, which was already long enough for one more thing to make no difference.

They won the match in half an hour, leaving their opponents standing shell-shocked on the court. "That was fun," Syuusuke said brightly as they put their rackets away. Yuuta wasn't sure if he liked winning or having a chance to show off or just playing tennis in general, but he was definitely happy with the game.

"That was boring," Yuuta grumbled. He wasn't really in a bad mood, but his natural reaction to a happy Syuusuke was annoyance. "They weren't much of a challenge." Still, he had to admit, it was fun to trounce someone like that from time to time, and it had been far too long since he'd played with his brother without getting angry.

"Sometimes it's fun just to play," Syuusuke said, turning to smile at him. Yuuta noticed suddenly that he was holding his wrist in front of him, seemingly unconsciously, as though it needed the support of his other hand. In an instant, all his bitterness dissolved away into concern; he'd forgotten for a while why he was here to play with his brother in the first place, but now it all came back and the grudging smile fell from his face.

He didn't want to call attention to what he had seen, but Syuusuke must have noticed his attention because he dropped his arms to his sides a moment later. "Let's go home," he said, and if his smile was a little less bright than it had been a moment before, Yuuta pretended not to notice.


	6. Chapter 6

Yumiko was waiting for them when they got home. "Eiji called again," she told Syuusuke. "He was very annoyed that you didn't answer your cell phone." Syuusuke gave a 'Don't I have the greatest best friend ever?' grimace, and Yumiko smiled. "He's not going to leave you alone until you go."

Yuuta had never quite understood what his brother saw in his rather overenthusiastic best friend. He was nice enough, and friendly, but his babbling would have driven Yuuta crazy, and he was just very different from Syuusuke. Then again, there weren't very many people quite like Syuusuke, so maybe the important thing was that nothing he did ever got to Eiji. At any rate, Yuuta didn't think their friendship would ever make sense to him.

Syuusuke picked up the phone and started to dial. "I know," he responded, still smiling, but he sounded tired, as though maintaining his cheerful manner wasn't as effortless as usual. But when he spoke again, he sounded as jovial as always. "Eiji? Yes, sorry about that; I went to play tennis. Next time. Sure, okay. Okay. I'll meet you there. What time? Okay. See you." He hung up the phone. "I guess I'm off."

"Already?" Without waiting for an answer, Yumiko asked, "Will you be home for dinner?"

"Maybe." He dropped his tennis bag by the door. "I'll call you if I'm not coming."

"Okay. Have a good time!"

"Bye," Syuusuke called as he went out the door. Yuuta watched him go, trying to figure out how to ask 'Does this mean you're all right?', but in the end he said nothing. It didn't matter. He wouldn't have gotten an honest response anyway, and he was pretty sure already that the answer was no. It was better not to ask.

"So," Yumiko asked, turning her attention to her youngest brother. "How was tennis?"

"We won," Yuuta said with a shrug, going into the kitchen for a glass of water. He doubted she cared to hear the details of the match; Yumiko had apparently missed out on the tennis obsession genes her brothers had.

"Good," Yumiko said, following after him. She started puttering around, wiping counters and putting dishes in the sink, and Yuuta had a sneaking suspicion that she was waiting for him to say what was on his mind. Unfortunately, his sister knew him too well, and she was right that he couldn't keep it to himself any longer.

"Why would somebody beat up someone else?" he finally blurted out.

Yumiko stopped what she was doing and looked at him. "Out in the wide world, too many reasons to list. You'll have to be more specific." From her tone, it sounded like they were still making light conversation, but she must know this was serious.

It was too late to take it back now, and besides it would make him feel better to have his big sister know what was going on, so Yuuta clarified, "Why would someone hurt a friend? A kid, I mean."

For a long time, Yumiko didn't say anything, and Yuuta was tempted to say it was just an idle question and not worth talking about, but he knew she wouldn't let it go now. Finally, she said, "Well, I don't pretend to understand teenage boys, but friends could fight over a girl or a game or...I don't know." She stopped and caught his gaze despite his attempts to be looking anywhere but at her. "What's going on, Yuuta?" she demanded.

"What do you mean?" he stammered, knowing even before the words were out of his mouth that there was no point in feigning ignorance.

"I'm not as oblivious as you seem to think I am," Yumiko chided, her lips quirking into a humorless smile that made him think of his brother. "You've been following Syuusuke around like an angry puppy guarding its master since you came home, and I know you're both hiding something from me. Did something happen to him?"

Yuuta thought about hedging, but it wasn't even worth trying at this point. "I don't know," he admitted, frustrated that he had so little to show for his efforts to figure this out. "Aniki was hurt—I think someone hurt him, I mean—but I don't know how or why or anything, and he won't tell me."

"He looked okay," Yumiko said, but she sounded unsure of herself, and Yuuta was reminded that even though his sister always seemed so much older than him, she wasn't so far out of childhood herself, and she didn't know everything. She might not know how to handle this situation any more than he did.

"I don't think it was that bad," he explained. "But he came to see me at school on Thursday night and he was...he looked..." He didn't know what to say. He was starting to wonder if he'd imagined the look of fear in his brother's eyes, that hesitant expression that meant he wasn't so sure of the world anymore. Maybe he was just making a big deal out of nothing. "I don't know," he said again. "Maybe he is okay."

"You don't know who did it?" Yumiko asked, ignoring his hesitation. She didn't seem to think he was overreacting, even if she had no way of knowing what was wrong.

Yuuta shook his head. "I talked to one of his friends and he's trying to figure it out, but he doesn't know yet."

"I'll talk to him," Yumiko said decisively, and Yuuta couldn't help feeling relieved. She would find out the truth for sure, and even if she didn't the matter would be out of his hands.

"Thank you, nee-san," Yuuta said, and Yumiko smiled at him.

"Anytime."


	7. Chapter 7

Yuuta's cell phone rang later that afternoon. The display showed an unfamiliar number, but he answered it anyway. "Hello?"

"Fuji-kun," a deep voice said. "I have a question for you."

Confused, Yuuta glanced at the display again, as if it might tell him who he was talking to. Then the voice registered and he asked, "Inui-san?" He thought about asking how Inui had gotten his number, but if his experience with data-obsessed people like Inui had taught him anything, it was to never be surprised at the information they could round up and not to bother asking where it came from. He settled for asking, "Did you figure something out?"

"I don't know," Inui answered. "I'm still collecting data. I need to ask you a question."

"What?"

"Is your brother gay?"

Of all the questions Inui could have asked, that was the last one Yuuta would have expected. "What?" he repeated stupidly.

"It's a simple question," Inui said calmly. Maybe to someone like him who thought of people as little more than percentages and probabilities it was, but this was his brother they were talking about, not just a bunch of numbers and facts.

Never mind the inappropriateness and apparent irrelevance of the question, why did Inui think he would know something like that? He and Syuusuke barely even talked about the weather anymore; he wouldn't know something that personal, and he wasn't about to ask. Surely with all his data collecting, Inui knew what kind of relationship Yuuta and his brother had.

"I don't know," he said grudgingly. Even if he had no desire to know anything about his brother's love life, he didn't like admitting that they'd grown so far apart he couldn't even guess. "He's never had a girlfriend that he's told me about, but...I don't know. He could be, maybe, as far as I know." He shook his head, more in confusion than denial. What difference did it make? "Why?"

"Data," Inui said shortly, and Yuuta had to restrain the urge to yell at him. This wasn't tennis where you could take plenty of time to collect data before deciding on a strategy. This was real life and he needed to know what had happened to Syuusuke in order to help him and be sure that he was safe now. But the only alternative to having Inui figure this out was to ask his brother directly. He'd already tried that without success, so he held his tongue.

"Do you have an idea?" he asked instead, trying to hide his impatience.

"I'll call you when I know something," Inui said, and hung up before Yuuta could say anything more.

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Yuuta fell asleep in front of the TV that night, but he woke up when Syuusuke came home. He didn't get up right away, but he froze when he heard Yumiko's voice, wondering if she was going to talk to Syuusuke now. "How was the movie?" she asked.

The sound of Syuusuke's footsteps stopped. "It was fun," he said vaguely. Then he yawned loudly and said, "I think I'm going to go to bed." Yuuta suspected he was trying to get away before Yumiko could start asking questions.

"Syuusuke," she said sharply. Then in a softer voice, "You'd tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would," Syuusuke said, as though he had no idea what she was talking about. He sounded earnest enough, but Yuuta knew better than to believe him; Syuusuke could lie with a straight face better than anyone else he knew.

"Then tell me," Yumiko said flatly, not convinced either.

"What makes you think something's wrong?" _That won't work and you know it_, Yuuta thought. Of course Syuusuke did, but he was going to try to avoid this conversation for as long as he could. He obviously didn't want to explain himself, even to Yumiko.

"Syuusuke," Yumiko chided, and Yuuta thought he heard his brother sigh.

"It doesn't matter," he said softly.

"Don't say that," Yumiko protested. "Just tell me what's going on."

"It won't happen again, nee-san, and there's nothing you can do. Don't worry about it," Syuusuke said firmly.

Yuuta half hoped Yumiko would get angry at him for being patronizing and trying to brush her off—if anyone could cow Syuusuke into a confession, it would be her—but she didn't say anything for a long time. Just as he was starting to wonder if she was going to let the matter drop completely, she said, "You don't have to be able to do everything yourself, you know." Her voice was gentle, almost pleading.

Syuusuke's response was so quiet Yuuta had to strain to hear it. "Some things I have to."

Yuuta heard Syuusuke's footsteps again, and then silence. A minute passed before Yumiko said, "He's gone. You can get up."

Somehow it didn't surprise Yuuta that she had seen through his fake sleeping. He only wondered if his brother had noticed it too. It didn't matter, anyway, since nothing had really come of the conversation. He opened his eyes and stood up, stifling a yawn.

Yumiko was standing still, looking sadly toward the bedrooms where Syuusuke had gone. "I forget sometimes," Yumiko said distantly after a moment, not looking at him, "That you're not little boys anymore."

_It was easier when we were_, Yuuta thought bleakly. He put a hand on his sister's shoulder in silent comfort, then walked past her to go to bed.

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**Author's Note: **This next chapter is the last one, which means that everything will finally become clear, hopefully. ;-) It's mostly written, so it should be up within a week.


	8. Chapter 8

Yuuta was the first one up the next morning, and he immediately collapsed in front of TV, turning it up loudly to drown out the thoughts swirling through his brain. He didn't know quite what to think with his brother unhappy and his sister unable to help, so his mind seemed to be compensated by thinking a million different thoughts at once, none of which were about a good way to make things better.

He jumped when someone knocked on the door, loudly and repeatedly. Annoyed, he turned off the TV and went to answer it. One of Syuusuke's teammates was standing in front of it—Momoshiro, if Yuuta remembered correctly—looking like he was about to bolt. "Is Fuji-senpai here?" he asked. "Umm, I mean—"

"I'll get him," Yuuta cut in in an effort to stop his babbling before it could start. "Come in." Momoshiro entered and stood awkwardly by the door. He still looked like he was considering running away, and although Yuuta barely knew the other boy, he doubted this frightened expression was normal for him.

Syuusuke was in his room, sprawled out on the bed. He appeared to be asleep, but he opened his eyes immediately when Yuuta said, "Somebody's here to see you." For a fraction of a second, his sleepy expression was childlike and unguarded and he looked almost like a stranger, but then his customary smile spread across his face and he looked like Syuusuke again.

"Momoshiro-kun, I think," Yuuta added. Syuusuke seemed to stiffen for an instant, but he relaxed so quickly that Yuuta wasn't sure if he had imagined it. His brother rolled off the bed and walked out without looking at him, and Yuuta trailed after him.

"Fuji-senpai," Momoshiro said when they returned. Seeing how uneasy he looked, Yuuta remembered Inui putting him on the list of suspects, and he wondered what this was about. If he was the one responsible and he'd come to finish the job (which sounded ridiculously overdramatic even in Yuuta's head), surely he wouldn't be looking so nervous. Besides, he'd have to be an idiot to try anything when he would have two angry siblings to deal with. Maybe this was about something else entirely and Yuuta was just hoping too hard for some sort of resolution.

Syuusuke didn't greet his friend, just said, "Let's go outside" and led him out. He closed the door behind them, and Yuuta was left alone. He knew he should go away and let them do whatever they needed to by themselves, but he needed to know what was going on. Quieting his conscience, he went and stood by the door to listen to them talk.

"What can I do for you?" Syuusuke was asking, and the uncharacteristic coldness behind his polite words erased any doubt from Yuuta's mind as to whether Momoshiro was the one who had hurt him.

"I've been thinking about what happened," Momoshiro said. "And I realized that I was completely out of line. I mean, you were just making a joke, and I really overreacted." He was talking too fast, tripping over his words as though he was in a great hurry to get them out. "And even if you weren't joking, it's none of my business whether you want to jump every guy you see or some guys or whatever it is you said." Yuuta almost choked. Had Syuusuke really said something like that? He didn't think he really wanted to know.

"You're my friend," Momoshiro continued. "And I had no reason to suspect that you meant you had any intentions toward me. I was just surprised and I assumed that's what you were saying. It was stupid and I'm really sorry and—"

"Stop, Momo-chan," Syuusuke said. "You sound like Ibu-kun." Although he couldn't see his expression, Yuuta was pretty sure he was laughing. How like Syuusuke; all it took was an apology and he was back to normal.

Momoshiro laughed too, a short, nervous laugh. "So...you're not mad at me?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"It was a misunderstanding. Forget about it," he said firmly.

"Okay," Momoshiro said brightly. After a moment, he added, "I'll see you at practice tomorrow."

"See you," Syuusuke replied. Yuuta realized abruptly that he shouldn't be standing there so obviously eavesdropping, so he ran back to sit in front of the TV, flipping it on. Syuusuke opened the door a moment later, and from the look he gave him, Yuuta was sure his brother knew he'd been listening.

"What did he want?" Yuuta asked casually, muting the TV. He didn't think Syuusuke would give him any further explanation, but it was worth a try.

"Just to talk," Syuusuke said, and with his smile and cheerful tone, Yuuta couldn't tell if he was annoyed or not. It was frustrating, but at least he was back to his normal inscrutable self. "Your cell phone's ringing," he added.

Sure enough, the beeping of a cell phone was coming from Yuuta's room. He ran to pick it up. "Hello?

"Hello. It's Inui." Without waiting for him to say anything, the other boy continued, "I've found out—"

"Inui-san," Yuuta stopped him. "Forget it. It's over."

There was a pause before Inui asked, "What do you mean?"

"Momoshiro-kun just came and apologized." He was going to say more, but he looked up then and saw Syuusuke standing in the doorway. His brother strode across the room and plucked the cell phone out of his hand.

"Inui?" he asked pleasantly. "Yes. That's right." Then his pleasant tone acquired the slightest edge as he continued, "Inui, next time you want to know something, ask me. Don't bring my brother into it." There was a pause, then he added brightly, "See you tomorrow" and hung up.

"You didn't need to do that," Yuuta grumbled. He doubted Inui was particularly offended, but for his part, he was bothered by the implication that he shouldn't be involved in worrying about his brother. On the other hand, he had wanted the normal Syuusuke back, and here he was, overprotectiveness and all. It's not that simple, he thought angrily. You can't just pretend nothing happened. But it seemed Syuusuke intended to do just that, at least ostensibly, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Syuusuke didn't respond, just handed the cell phone back with a smile. "Everything's okay now," he said. "You don't have to stay here anymore."

He was right. There wasn't really anything Yuuta could have done to help in the first place, but now it seemed Syuusuke didn't even need help. He could return to school and try to forget this whole mess, and he could go back to avoiding his brother without feeling guilty. It would be easier for both of them that way.

And yet, he was already home, and he didn't need to head back yet. It had been nice to be home for the first time in a while and to see his siblings. He didn't need to run away just because it was a little uncomfortable, and perhaps he should spend a little more time with Syuusuke before his resentment began to outweigh his sympathy.

Yuuta shrugged, as though he didn't much care either way. "It's early," he said. "I can stay a little longer."

* * *

**Author's Note:** And that's the end. I hope you all enjoyed it and found it a satisfactory ending. Any and all reviews will be appreciated/treasured/squeed over. Thanks for reading! 

Oh, and I also posted a bit of an epilogue to this story. It's titled "Aftermath" and can be found through my profile page because doesn't seem to want to let me do links.


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